Spain Hailed As The Most Tourist-Friendly Nation This 2017

Every two years, the World Economic Forum reviews and ranks the most tourist-friendly destinations on the planet, and for the second time, Spain tops the list. According to Travel and Leisure, this year's report was entitled "The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017: Paving the way for a more sustainable and inclusive future."

About 136 countries were scrutinized and the factors for the checklist are based on a number of qualities like safety and security, price competitiveness, health and hygiene, infrastructure, and natural resources. Spain earned its spot at the top rank because of its impressive cultural and natural qualities, strong tourism infrastructure, and its accessibility by air.

For the top 10, a majority of European nations dominated the list, as reported by CNBC. The second most travel-friendly country is France, with Germany bagging the third spot. The United Kingdom got the fifth spot, Italy ranked eighth, and Switzerland got the 10th rank.

The report also showed Spain receiving a boost of tourism from travelers who opted out of Middle Eastern travel and other western parts of Europe because of security reasons. The country's sense of security still instills relief in the minds of its travelers, in the wake of worldwide chaos surrounding several attacks recently such as the incident in London and Paris.

European countries dominating the World Economic Forum list just shows how the continent is still the leading travel and tourism market in the world. In their report, WEF said that for the 1.2 billion international visitors in 2016, Europe attracted 620 million. Despite fears of terrorism, their tourism market remained trustworthy and stable.

It is also noticeable how Southeast Asian nations underperformed in the report even though some of them saw an increase in tourist influx for the last two years. According to WEF, poor infrastructure and hygiene, along with unstable governmental practices make up for their underperformance.